


roses | dreamnotfound

by EARTHT0M4RS



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: First Dates, Flowers, Fluff, M/M, SO MUCH FLUFF, Strangers to Lovers, george works for her, love at first sight cliche ik, nihachu owns a flower shop, no beta read we die like georgenotfound lmaooooooooooo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:35:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28427142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EARTHT0M4RS/pseuds/EARTHT0M4RS
Summary: george works as a florist, and dream comes in every day to buy a single flower and give it to him.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 147
Kudos: 656





	1. thornless rose

george enjoyed his job - and, _no,_ it wasn’t just because he hardly had to do anything.

he loved the scent that welcomed him as soon as he stepped inside the tiny shop, and he loved hearing the chime of the bell that rang overhead as he entered. he loved how peaceful it was, and how the old record player hummed in the background. he loved the colors that surrounded him - even if he couldn’t really identify them all - and he loved the flowers that seemed to brighten up any mood he so happened to be in. 

the shop was run by one of his close friends, niki, who after many years of running it all by herself, eventually brought him in to help her with the things she often didn’t have the time for; general upkeep, watering, trimming, or even just waiting at the cash register.

niki loved this little flower shop with all of her heart, but the only problem was, she was still in school. this kept her far too busy for either of their likings, so when she asked george to hop on board and help run the store with her, he was more than happy to. 

george always thought niki was a bit psychic: she always knew which costumers wanted which flowers, just by simply looking at them. a man could walk in with a troubled look on his face, and she could arrange the most beautiful bouquet of flowers for him to give to his lover, or a little girl could come in with a sunshine smile and niki would give her a radiant sunflower to match. 

niki often left george in charge of the store after knowing he was more than capable of handling it, sometimes not stopping in for days at a time, which so happened to be the case today.

the bell rang throughout the store, signaling that a new costumer had just arrived. george stood up form where he was crouched underneath the counter - well, he _would_ have if the counter hadn’t hit his head first. a wave of embarrassment came over him, and he cursed under his breath.

”are you okay?” an unfamiliar voice questioned, words laced with concern. george heard footsteps come closer, and felt a hand rest hesitantly on his shoulder.

”’m fine,” he muttered, eyes shut tight as he rubbed the spot where his head had made contact with the counter, wincing slightly. “i’m sorry, is there anything i can help you with today, sir?”

he chuckled, “i think i’m alright for now. thank you, though.”

”okay, just let me know if—“

george cut himself off mid-sentence, eyes subconsciously widening as he took in the sight of the man standing in front of him.

he was _tall._ george nearly had to crane his neck to meet his eyes, which were (to george, anyways) a golden brown-ish color. truthfully, they were quite captivating, and he had rather pretty eyelashes to compliment them. he had slightly tanned skin with freckles painting the bridge of his nose, and his lips were curved up into a small smirk that seemed to camp on his face. 

he was really quite attractive.

george blinked, forcing himself out of his trance, and cleared his throat before speaking quietly, not totally willing to trust his voice at the moment. “just let me know if you need anything.”

the blond shot him a warm smile before disappearing into the opposite side of the store, leaving george to curse himself for being so nervous. he wasn’t usually like this around _anyone._ he shouldn’t have been nervous about that; it was nothing.

_but if it was nothing, why were his hands so clammy and why were his cheeks flaming?_

he tried to busy himself with tasks at the register, however that proved to be quite useless when he found his attention being subconsciously drawn back to the stranger who was sauntering around the store. he watched the way his brows would furrow in concentration, the way he constantly chewed on his bottom lip, and the way his nose scrunched up slightly when he was breathing in the scents of the flowers he was examining. george cursed himself for staring over and over until the other boy caught his gaze, giving him a slight smirk before walking over.

he placed the single flower that george didn’t remember seeing him pick up onto the counter, and he told the blond the amount due from memory. he took out his wallet and gave him much more than what was asked for originally.

”uh,” george stared in confusion, “do you want change?”

the man shook his head, taking the small flower between his index and middle finger. he started twirling it. without meeting the brunet’s eyes, he spoke.

”d’you know what this flower means?”

george shook his head, finding himself unable to look away. “it’s just a rose, right? don’t those usually represent love?”

the other shrugged, leaning against the counter.

”yes, sort of. see—“ he paused, eyes narrowing on the small name tag pinned to george’s shirt. he smiled, “see, _george,_ this is a thornless rose. very rare, unless you take the thorns off yourself, of course. i’m surprised to see them here, to be honest. i’ll give you the short version; red roses typically mean love, blue roses symbolize being unattainable, white roses normally represent eternal love and loyalty. you get the idea.”

george nodded carefully. “i understand that, yes, but what does this one mean?”

”this one represents love at first sight, george.”

the blond stopped looking at the flower and met george’s eyes instead, catching him slightly off guard. neither of them looked away; an unspoken challenge had been made, daring each other to break their eye contact.

in the end, george looked away first, feeling slightly overwhelmed under his gaze. this caused the man to chuckle quietly and stand up straighter. 

“i should probably get going now.”

george hummed in acknowledgement.

whoever he had gotten this flower for was indeed _very_ lucky.

"have a good day, sir. i wish you luck."

the blond smiled, then his expression formed into one that looked almost embarrassed. 

"i almost forgot." he said sheepishly. he held out the small rose to george, whose face was etched with confusion.

"oh, did you want it wrapped, or--"

"no, george. this one is for you."

george's eyes went wide, and he suddenly felt the need to look anywhere except the other man. he couldn't seem to understand why this stranger wanted to give him such a gift.

"um, what?" george chuckled, confused.

the blond shook his head, his lips quirking up into a smile. "are you questioning my methods?"

"methods?" the brunet queried. the stranger nodded. "not questioning them, no. i suppose i'm just hinting at the fact that they're quite dumb."

"i take it you don't believe in love at first sight, then?"

"no, i'm afraid i don't," george reached for the small rose and brought it to his nose to smell, "but, thank you for the flower, sir."

the blond smiled, but it wasn't directly at him this time. instead, his gaze was fixated on the hand that cradled the flower as if it were the most precious thing on earth. he smiled in satisfaction.

"you can believe what you wish," he spoke with hesitance, and threw in a glace at the door. "now, i really do have to be on my way. have a lovely afternoon, george."

"you too, sir."

before disappearing, he peered over his shoulder and back at the brunet.

"my name is dream, by the way, not 'sir.' _u_ _nless,_ you have a fixation for those types of things. then you can all me sir all you want."

and with that, dream left the store without another word being said, leaving a sputtering george in his wake. 


	2. peony

george wasn't quite sure why, but he took an extra ten minutes to get ready this morning. appearance was never something he had cared about before that day, but the brunet had been pondering all morning.

should he wear a white shirt or a blue shirt?

should he wear this cologne or none at all?

does anyone _really_ care about what shoes he was wearing?

when he'd eventually arrived at the store, niki wasn't there. instead, he was greeted with a letter taped to the door that briefly explained why she was absent and her thanks to him for taking care of everything. 

when george flipped the paper over, he felt a chuckle bubbling up in his throat; niki had written a final statement in large, capitalized letters that read out _"DO NOT OVER-WATER THE SUCCULENTS AGAIN >:("_

you kill one houseplant and it stays with you for the rest of your life, apparently.

the day had passed fairly quickly, and before he knew it, the sun was dipping behind the horizon, painting the small shop in a soft golden glow. it gave off an intimate atmosphere that george had learned to appreciate; it was mostly made out of old brick, and hardwood floors that creaked more often than not. the bright colors of the flowers welcomed every costumer as soon as they entered the shop, capturing their attention immediately.

he was often curious about the costumers, wondering exactly what their occasions were. after all, flowers could be used as decor for a variety of occasions, from funerals to weddings, so it always managed to spike some form of curiosity within george. it was kind of a personal question to ask, though, and he himself wouldn't want people prying into his personal life like that, so he never did.

instead, he liked to theorize about people. 

today, for example, a tall, rather buff man had come in and bought a bouquet of vibrant tulips. typically, one would assume that perhaps they were for his lover, but george had instead decided to think that he was taking them home for himself.

a big scary guy came in and bought a bunch of tulips for himself.

that was today's theory.

he was so lost in thought about tulip man that he nearly missed the familiar chime of the door. when he turned to look, the blond boy from yesterday waltzed in - _dream,_ he reminded himself.

it was a strange name, dream, definitely one you wouldn't hear on a daily basis.

perhaps it was a nickname?

george shrugged; maybe he could ask him about it.

or was that too personal?

george had met people who preferred to go by nicknames that held emotional significance, and most of the time, the person wasn't comfortable on divulging the story behind it, and that was perfectly okay.

if that was the case with dream, he wasn't going to pry.

dream smiled when he caught sight of george, and greeted him with a quick wave before he made a beeline towards the peonies set up in the corner. george observed from his spot behind the register, and watched as he picked out a single pink - or, what george _guessed_ was a pink - flower. he didn't even stop to look at the hundreds of others that were offered; he had a look of certainty on his face that said 'this flower is the one.'

dream walked up to the register, and george tried to ignore the fact that his stomach was practically doing back flips. like the day before, dream gave george much more than what was the required for the small flower, insisting that he should keep the change no matter how many times george spluttered out arguments. 

george sighed in defeat, handing over the flower, and watched him. just as he did yesterday, he began twirling it between his two fingers, leaning against the counter as he spoke.

"do you know what this peony means?"

george huffed, "no, i do not, in fact, know what that peony means."

dream smiled down at the little flower, and began explaining, "peonies can represent many things, so i suppose that i should be careful in explaining. they represent prosperity, romance, a happy marriage, riches, honor, compassion, and..." he paused, "ah, they can also mean bashfulness, and i think that's it."

george hummed, " _i_ think that you're weird."

dream threw his head back and laughed; a beautiful sound that made everything else seem unworthy of being heard.

"and i think that you're a bit boring and oblivious, yet you still appear to be much more interested than you let on."

george felt his face heat up, and barely managed to scoff out a reply. "well, i don't recommend trying to dig any redeeming qualities out of me, because i can guarantee that i don't have any."

dream shook his head, looking - or perhaps admiring him - with such fondness in his eyes that it made george want to melt into a puddle of goo.

"i don't believe that, not even for a second."

"you can believe what you wish," george said, deciding to use dream's words from the previous day against him, "but we can agree to disagree on that, dream."

dream laughed, and once again offered the small flower to george, not even bothering to try and hide his smirk.

no matter how calm george tried to act, he still couldn't help the small smile that made its way onto his face.

ayo u should follow me on twitter @EARTHT0M4RS

/j /j

unless


	3. burgundy rose

the third day that dream arrived, it was sunny outside.

it was as if the sun shined specifically for him, and the light traveled all this way just for the chance to shine on him and all his glory.

he was the very definition of the world beautiful, but even that word wasn't able to do him justice.

eventually, george had come to the conclusion that there wasn't a word in the english language that could even begin to describe just how _breathtaking_ this man was.

the brunet watched him stroll around the store as he always did, waiting patiently for him to make his selection for that day. 

if george was completely honest with himself, this little routine had become his favorite part of his shift.

george sighed, leaning back in his seat behind the counter, and called out to him.

"find what you're looking for?"

"almost!" dream turned around to face him, a lopsided smile on his face. "why, do you have better places to be?"

he crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for the brunet's reply. the damn grin was etched onto his face, and if george didn't know any better, he would say it was a permanent feature of dream's.

"well, not until four!" he shot back jokingly. 

"do you have any more gardenias?" dream questioned, looking around where they were usually kept, running his fingers lazily across the empty shelf. 

george shook his head, frowning. "no, we don't get another restock until friday, sorry."

dream hummed, sounding slightly disappointed, before moving on to the rainbow of roses near the front of the shop.

"how do you know where everything is?" he asked abruptly, "you always seem to know what should and shouldn't be in stock, and know exactly where it should be." a pause, and then george gasped dramatically and held a hand to his heart, "you're trying to steal my job!"

dream chuckled, eyes flickering from one flower to the next before he finally settled on one, picking it up as though it was as fragile as glass.

"no, i just know the owner of the shop fairly well, that's all."

george sat up a bit straighter, "you know niki, then?"

dream turned, giving george his undivded attention, "yes, of course i _know_ niki."

before george had the chance to ask him anything else, or get him to elaborate on what he meant, the blond was already standing in front of the register. he was brandishing his chosen flower similar to how a small child would proudly show their parents an art project they'd done in school. george begrudgingly took the outrageous amount of cash from dream, and the flower was given to him a moment later.

"do you know what this one means, grumpy?" dream asked, raising an eyebrow with an amused expression on his face.

george huffed, "you know i only work here part-time."

"okay, and..?"

" _and_ i wish you'd stop asking me what all these damn flowers mean."

"thought i'd just give you the benefit of the doubt today," dream shrugged, grinning. "today's flower is a burgundy rose, but, i'm sure you know that-"

"i don't." george cut him off, shaking his head.

dream gave him a confused look.

"i'm colorblind, idiot," he deadpanned.

the blond's mouth fell open, and he let out a single murmur of _"oh."_

george nodded, "yep."

dream cleared his throat awkwardly, "um, anyways, yeah... today's flower is a burgundy rose! some people believe that they also represent love and compassion, more so than a red rose does. but, most of the time, it means unconscious beauty."

though george didn't really believe a single word coming out of the blond's mouth, he felt his face heat up anyways, and he absentmindedly began shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"see, like that," dream said, his tone sounding more gentle and sweet than usual, "i don't think you know how cute you are when you do little things like that."

he gave george a small wave, and was out the door in seconds, leaving george to sit and wait for their encounter tomorrow.

im too lazy to check for typos its 6am sorry 


	4. anemone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i apologize if this is absolute shit i haven’t slept in like 18 hours so again sorry if there are typos

george didn’t exactly know if there was a word for it.

it seemed impossible - there simply couldn’t be a word that was grand enough to even begin.

expressions like ‘pretty’ and ‘beautiful’ didn’t really scrape the surface of how george wanted to put it into words.

i mean, after all, how could you even possibly describe how gorgeous he was?

when his hair fell into his eyes? he was lovely. when the sun caught in his eyes, causing them to glow a bright ember color? he was beautiful. even when he fumbled with his steps? he wasn’t clumsy, no, he was charming.

the man was nothing less than ethereal.

george watched - as he always did - the way dream moved around the small shop; the way he seemed to move so easily, almost as though he were a shadow. the way his fingers would close delicately around the stem of a flower, and the way he would examine it like it was the most precious thing he’d ever stumbled upon.

how funny. didn’t he know that _he_ was the most precious thing?

”you’re staring again, george.” the blond accused, though his words held no bite. he didn’t even have to glance away from the daisy he was holding to know that george was blushing.

”i’m not! i’m just - i’m looking at the flowers!” he sputtered, nodding towards various flowers near the two of them.

dream scoffed playfully, before he spread his arms out wide as a way of gesturing to the entirety of the store.

”you have this entire store, filled to the brim with flowers, and yet you choose to look over here in this small corner.” dream smirked and went back to his examining, “i know you’re lying, george.”

”am not!”

“are too.”

”ugh!” george groaned in faux exasperation, throwing his hands up in the air, “you are _so_ annoying.”

the blond let out one of his signature laughs and moved to a display near the front of the shop. “and you’re a liar. not sure about you, grumpy, but i would rather be annoying than i liar.”

”i am not a liar, dream!” george exclaimed, but his protests went to deaf ears as he proceeded to follow dream around the shop, watching him search for today’s flowers.

”which ones are those?” the brunet pointed to a bunch of flowers next to where dream was standing, “they’re really pretty.”

dream smiled, “i can assure you that they’re nearly as pretty as you are.” he then picked up one of the flowers from the bunch and went on explaining, “they’re anemones.”

george furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, “anemones? isn’t that the shit nemo lived in?” 

dream laughed, “no, idiot, those were _sea_ anemones.” he corrected, “there’s a difference. these are said to bring luck and protection against evil, but they also represent anticipation.”

george ran his hands through his hair, mussing it up slightly, “i still don’t understand how and why you know all this stuff.”

”so i can use it during moments like these,” dream shrugged.

there was a beat of silence.

“how else am i supposed to get the pretty boy to like me?” he added as a nonchalant afterthought.

george blinked, and before he knew what was happening, dream carefully reached out with the anemone in hand, and tucked it behind his ear.

”there you go,” dream let his hand linger for a little longer than necessary. “just saying, the flowers look more pretty on you than they could on anyone else.”


	5. gardenia

i had planned on publishing this earlier today but then the whole dream and sapnap meetup went down and i get _very_ distracted, sorry for the delay :]

* * *

george felt a flood of relief flow through him the moment niki had walked through the front door that morning, looking as cheerful as anyone could possibly be. george was absolutely overjoyed to see her, even if she had gotten a little upset over more over-watered succulents.

the store didn't feel the same without her presence.

"george, thanks again for helping me!" niki gestured around the shop, "i don't know what i would do without you, honestly. this place would probably rot with sapnap in charge of it."

george smiled sheepishly at his friend, "i'm always happy to help, niki."

there was a comfortable silence as george finished counting the rest of the cash in the register, setting it in a neat pile on the side. "the costumers aren't all that bad, either."

"oh, really now? who's the lucky person?" niki taunted, a smile tugging at her lips, "anyone i might know?"

george shrugged, ignoring the way he felt his cheeks redden slightly at the teasing tones in his friend's voice.

"maybe," he said simply, "i mean, he said he knew you. he'll probably be here today, you can meet him then."

"i look forward to it," niki said, sounding amused as she shot him a wink. "oh, would you bring me a crate of gardenias from the back?"

george was off his stool before niki even managed to finish her sentence, "sure thing!"

he made his way to the back of the small store, and into the back room where all the flowers that weren't on the floor yet were kept and stored. he looked through the various boxes of flowers that were laid out, searching for the ones that niki needed.

_'which ones were they again?'_ george wondered, chewing on his bottom lip. _'the white ones, i think?"_

he heard the familiar chime of the front door, signaling that someone had walked into the shop. his heart leapt, and a large grin made its way onto his face. he immediately snatched up the crate of white flowers, and rushed out to meet dream.

when george reached the main room again, he was met with the shocking sight of the blond hugging his best friend, smiles visible on both of their faces.

"george!" niki called, releasing dream and beckoning him over, "come meet my roommate!"

george furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, glancing back and forth between niki and dream.

"your..." he cleared his throat, trying to find his voice, "your _roommate?_ " he repeated.

"i told you i knew niki, grumpy, don't you remember?" dream smirked, sauntering over and draping an arm around george's shoulders, shaking him lightly. "did you _really_ think that niki would leave you in charge _and_ unsupervised while she was away?"

"you're unbelievable!" he exclaimed, not exactly knowing how to react, " _both_ of you."

dream shrugged. niki smiled sheepishly, and whispered a _sorry._

dream chuckled, then turned to niki with a hand still rest on the brunet's shoulder, absentmindedly rubbing small circles with his thumb, "are these the ones i requested?"

"they are! they weren't easy to find, at all, but, i was willing to go through the struggle for you," niki replied excitedly, smiling at the sight of the two boys in front of her.

"i definitely owe you one," dream vowed.

"it's nothing, honestly," niki tried to persuade him, but the blond simply shrugged it off. 

dream reached over and plucked a single flower from the crate that george was carrying, "i'm not going to give you the entire meaning behind this one, because i'm afraid it may reveal too much."

the blond tore his eyes away from the flower and glanced up at geore.

"but, just know that one of the main things it can mean is simply, _"you're lovely,"_ and i don't think i have ever agreed on anything more."

george felt a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, and he carefully set the crate of gardenias down, and took the flower that was offered to him.

"you're too good to me."

dream shook his head, smiling at the small flower that was held delicately in the brunet's hand.

"no, george. not nearly good enough."


	6. daisy

ahahaha since this is getting more attention than i thought it would,,, yall should follow my twitter @EARTHT0M4RS

~~please i need clout~~

* * *

george was absolutely smitten, and there was no point in denying it by now.

what made it so much worse was the fact that dream knew it, too.

sometimes he would catch the brunet staring, and simply toss him a smirk in response, or occasionally lock eyes with him and stare back until they both glanced away, biting back smiles and cheeks flushed.

moments like those were nothing less that euphoric and wondrous.

today was one of the days that was filled with something that george couldn't totally explain; everything felt utopian and picturesque. niki was in the back of the shop, wrapping bouquets of beautiful flowers with lovely pastel ribbons. george was perched up on the counter, legs swaying subconsciously and his eyes fixated on dream, who had walked in only minutes before.

the blond's eyes were crinkled; the results of a breathtaking smile etched onto his face as he pointed out the faint flush painted on the brunet's cheekbones.

"are you _blushing,_ george?"

"what? no!" george tried to protest in a nonchalant tone, but his voice betrayed him and cracked through the last word, causing dream to grin even more and george to cover his face with his shirt by tugging the collar up to his nose.

this was a conversation that happened at least twice a day now, and neither of them had grown tired of having it.

"did _i,"_ dream gasped and put a hand over his heart, "get the ever-stoic and insouciant george to actually _blush_?"

"no! it - it's the cold," george argued feebly, his voice muffled. he momentarily cursed himself, seeing as the sun was still high in the sky and the windows were open wide to let in the fresh spring air.

dream arched an eyebrow, watching him suspiciously, "the _cold?"_

"yes." 

george tried to sound as convincing as possible, yet failed miserably.

"huh," dream hummed, crossing his arms and eyeing the boy perched on the counter in front of him, "i could've _sworn_ it was because i told you _"your smile is fucking adorable, and i know the rest of you is, too."_ well, my mistake, then."

"no, no it was _not,"_ george insisted, urging his voice to remain steady.

to his relief, it did.

"admit it, sweetheart, you're infatuated with me," dream taunted, returning to his browsing and allowing his fingers to brush lightly across a few daisies, before picking one up. 

"i am not _infatuated_ with you!" george replied, throwing his hands into the air and tossing his head back.

"you _so_ are, george!" came the sudden voice of niki, her head popping out from the back room. she was grinning wildly, her hair slightly disheveled and a smudge of soil on her nose. 

this caused the blond to double over in laughter, and for george to bury his face in his hands, muttering curses under his breath.

when dream recovered from his wheezing fit, he straightened up and wiped his eyes, approaching george with a kind smile on his face. he carefully placed his hands on top of the brunet's, and peeled them away from his guarded face. dream took one hand, forcing away the warm feeling it gave him, and lightly tilted up george's chin so he was able to see him more clearly.

"it's alright, grumpy."

dream placed the small daisy in george's hand and gave it a brief squeeze, "if i'm being totally honest, i'm completely infatuated with you, too."

george smiled shyly back at him, adoration clear in his eyes. the blond gave his hand a final, gentle squeeze, before walking towards the door of the shop.

"wait!" george called out abruptly, hopping off the counter.

"yes, george?" dream replied, peering over his shoulder.

"what's the meaning behind this one?" he asked, brandishing the precious daisy held in his left hand.

"only good things. it means loyal love."

george glanced down at the flower, his mind going a million miles an hour as questions began to surface.

however, dream was out the door as quickly as he'd came in.


	7. sunflower

anyone could notice the changes occurring in george's personality.

from the way he used to walk, sometimes even sulk around the store, he now danced.

from the way he used to only offer some awkward half-smiles, he now grins, his entire face lighting up.

from the way he usually tuned out the music, only rendering it as background noise, to the way he now hums joyfully along with it.

his heart was swarming with love, a wondrous feeling that he hoped would never abandon him.

niki was gone for the day, leaving george at the shop by himself. the boy didn't mind it, though; it gave him the freedom to listen to whatever he wished on the record player, and dance carelessly around the mostly empty shop.

but, of course, it was only _mostly_ empty.

he did have one person in particular that loved to admire him.

"are you training for the ballet or something, grumpy?" dream called from where he stood in the doorway. he had his arms crossed, and an easy smile on his face.

"perhaps i am," george suggested over the calming tune he'd been swaying mindlessly to for the past ten minutes, "why don't you join me?"

"me?" dream questioned, raising an eyebrow and pointing at himself as if he wasn't the only other person in the shop at the moment.

"yes, you!" george stated as though it were obvious, and, admittedly, it was, but maybe dream wasn't entirely aware of that. george grinned, taking both of the blond's hands in his own. "come on, dance with me!"

"i don't even know this song, george!" dream laughed, soaking in the feeling of the brunet's happiness, which seemed to be somewhat contagious.

george shook his head, grinning from ear to ear, "that's fine, neither do i!" 

with a final tug of their intertwined hands, and a few more minutes of bickering, the suddenly confident brunet had finally persuaded dream into dancing with him, and led him to the middle of the room.

"let's see..." george murmured, leading one of the blond's hands to his hip, then placed his own hand on top of dream's shoulder, "my hand goes here, and... yours goes right here."

"you okay?" dream asked, observing the way george had gotten significantly quieter. "you aren't speaking as much."

"because we're not _supposed_ to be speaking," the brunet gave his hand a squeeze, "we're supposed to be dancing, silly."

and with that, the boys began dancing.

they twirled one another until their stomachs ached from laughing so hard. they danced with the rainbow of flowers surrounding them, and with the bright sun casting their shadows on the floor. they danced as if they couldn't wish for a better partner.

they weren't very graceful dancers - in fact, they were quite dreadful. with the way george would constantly step on dream's toes, or how, in return, the blond would accidentally twirl the other a little too much until it ended with one sprawled out on top of the other on the floor. 

but they both loved it, and savored every minute of the other's presence.

at the end of the day, when the world had begun to fade from its lively blue to the peaceful orange that painted the sky, dream knew exactly which flower to present george with.

dream took a deep breath, exhaling shakily as he mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do. he observed the brunet from afar, as he rearranged a bouquet that was on display in the window. he smiled fondly, despite knowing that george couldn't see it.

the boy was nothing short of ethereal. 

"thank you," dream said suddenly, hesitantly walking over to the brunet, "for putting up with my awful dancing."

"there's no one else in this world i would rather have twirl me into a shelf over a dozen times," george remarked, no bite to his words.

"i'm glad," dream admitted, gazing admirably into the other's eyes, contemplating what he should do next. he opened his mouth to speak, but george beat him to it.

"what's that?" he gestured to the radiant flower clutched in dream's hand.

the blond smiled, finally tearing his eyes away from the brunet to stare down at the flower, "your flower for today."

"it's lovely," george carefully took hold of it, "but why a sunflower?"

"because," dream began, his tone gentle, "a sunflower can mean adoration. and, all throughout this afternoon, the only thought running through my mind was just how much i adore you, george."

george shook his head, glancing away, "don't flirt with me unless you really mean it, dream."

dream let out a short, breathy laugh, "when have i ever _not_ meant it?" he said immediately. 

the brunet shrugged sheepishly.

"do you want to go out with me tomorrow?" dream asked suddenly, "as in a real, actual date."

george smiled, feeling butterflies swarm his stomach.

"i would love nothing more."


	8. colors

warning: things get a tiny bit spicy towards the end. nothing too extreme - i just wanted to give a warning :]

* * *

"dream, would you just tell me where we're going?"

the blond flashed him a large smile, "you'll see when we get there," he replied, his tone low and gentle.

"well, when are we going to get there?" george wondered, fumbling with the strings of his hoodie: neither of them had gone to the effort of dressing in pristine suits or anything of the sort, since dream had insisted that they wouldn't be an ideal choice of clothing for this date.

dream chuckled, "be patient, george. you're acting like a child going on a road trip with all the whining and complaining you're doing."

george snorted, rolling his eyes. 

minutes pass.

by now, the silence has started to form tension between the two of them.

it was still, and quiet.

stolen glances and unspoken words were the only things exchanged for a large portion of the ride. it was a strange feeling; a mix of anticipation and anxiousness, and the fear that something would go horribly wrong and ruin this for the both of them. 

"we'll be there really soon," dream clarified, eyes scanning the horizon. "you can listen to the radio, if you want. you don't have to just sit there - i know that can get pretty boring."

a short, quiet laugh escaped george's lips, "no, it's alright. i don't mind the silence when i'm with you," he murmured, a sudden fondness prominent in his tone that dream hadn't heard before. 

dream shot a glance in george's direction, but the brunet's eyes were glued to the scenery racing by in the form of colorful blurs.

_had he imagined it?_

"alright," dream let out a relieved sigh as the car slowly came to a halt, "we're here, george."

silence.

dream blinked, "george?"

he turned, and muffled a laugh escaped his lips; george had fallen asleep. his hair was disheveled, and his mouth was slightly ajar. 

he stared for a second more, before reaching into the pockets of his hoodie and fumbling with his phone. he snapped a quick photo - definitely not for teasing and lighthearted blackmail purposes. definitely not.

"did you just take a picture of me?" george mumbled sleepily.

dream's head snapped up.

"no," he said, with a smile that clearly said otherwise.

george leaned forward and reached for dream's phone, quickly snatching it out of his hand. he turned it to see the photo of himself, which he inevitably seemed to find unflattering.

"what the hell, dream!" george huffs and goes to delete it, but dream is already trying to grab his phone from george's hands.

george quickly shifts away in his seat, still struggling to try and delete the photo. a quiet _click_ signifies that dream had taken off his seatbelt that had previously been restricting his movements, and was now practically climbing over to the passengers' seat.

"don't delete it, it's cute!" dream shouts, and he hardly even considers the implications of those words before he's practically lunging at george, desperately trying to retrieve his phone. 

george shifts, sandwiching the phone between his body and the door of the car; dream is already snaking his hands around him to try to reach it, and george is resisting the urge to laugh at the ticklish sensations. 

george hardly has time to comprehend what's happening when dream hooks a hand around his waist, and is forcefully tugging george to his chest, using the time in which george is recovering from his shock to wrestle the phone out of his grip, safely storing it away in his pocket. 

george blinks, face contorting into a pout. "you're mean."

dream just grins, leaning in to plant a brief kiss on his forehead, "and you're blushing."

george doesn't try to deny it; he just grumbles incoherent words and shoves dream off of him, gesturing for him to get out of the car. dream complies, george mirroring his actions a moment later. 

he brought his arms over his head, stretching, and allowing his joints to rearrange themselves before he took in his surroundings; there appeared to be nothing but grass plains and hills for miles beyond them.

dream reappeared by his side, a picnic basket clutched in one hand and a nervous expression painted on his face.

"do you like it?" he murmured, shifting his weight.

george nodded slowly, "very much."

it was miniscule, but he seemed to relax - like that was all he needed to hear.

"are you ready to do a bit of walking?"

george glanced up at him, and a content smile made its way onto his face, "lead the way.'

dream hesitantly took hold of his wrist, and started to guide him through the plains.

after a few, painfully awkward minutes of it almost looking like dream was dragging him around, his hand slowly lost its grip on george's wrist and slipped down, only for it to be caught by george's fingers interlacing with his own.

the walk was mostly silent; the only sounds were the distant whispers of the evening breeze, and the steady rhythm of their footsteps. 

"not much further," dream noted, when he realized george had started to slow down, "we're almost at the top of the hill."

george nodded mutely, eyes fixated on the horizon, and the tall grass swaying gently in the wind. his legs were beginning to ache, but he opted on not saying anything about it - besides, dream said they were almost there.

and he was right; no more than two minutes after they had fallen back into silence, they reached the peak of the hill.

the sight was absolutely breathtaking.

george was speechless.

"woah," he breathed. he glanced over at dream; he was staring right back with a look of anticipation on his face, "how did you find this? it - it's beautiful."

dream smiled sheepishly, carefully setting the picnic basket down at their feet, "i stumbled upon it ages ago. i used to come here with my sisters when i was around sixteen," he explained, reaching into the basket and pulling out a blanket, "our parents - they, um - they didn't get along. fought a lot. coming here was our way of escaping from reality. it all felt like a dream."

he peered over his shoulder at george, who was staring attentively at him, listening with interest.

hesitantly, he continued.

"that's how i got my name - er, nickname, actually." he divulged, "dream. it was sort of pun back then, i guess, but then it just... _stuck._ my real name is - "

"you don't have to tell me," george interrupted, shaking his head. "if it makes you uncomfortable, i don't want to -"

"clay."

george blinked.

"what?"

"my name. clay. my name is clay." dream stammered, avoiding his gaze.

the brunet stared.

"oh," he said simply, "do americans usually name their children after sculpting mediums?"

dream fell into hysterics; he threw his head back, shoulders shaking as he clutched at his sides.

"you're ridiculous," he said weakly, practically gasping for air through his wheezes, "you're _actually_ ridiculous, george."

george hummed thoughtfully, taking a seat on the soft blanket, "maybe i am. but so are you."

dream shrugged, collapsing down next to him, "that's fine. we can be ridiculous together," he grinned, nudging him with his elbow.

the brunet chuckled, head falling to the side and onto the blond's shoulder. he felt dream stiffen beside him, before he let out a satisfied hum and laid his head atop of the other's. 

"are you hungry?" dream asked after a moment of silence.

"a little," george confirmed, "did you bring food?"

"'course," dream nodded, hauling the basket into his lap and digging through it, "i didn't really know what you liked, so i just made a few sandwiches and a cake. i'm sorry if you don't like it - we can always stop for some takeout or something, or - "

"dream."

"what?"

george reached for the blond's hand, and gave it a reassuring squeeze, "i love it. this is perfect - more than i could've asked for, honestly." 

dream stared at him; the fondness in his eyes made george want to melt. 

god, george was in love.

they spent the remainder of their afternoon lost in each other; it was filled with too much cake, too much joy, and too many admiring gazes to count.

george didn't want this to end. 

but, like all good things; it has to end at some point.

by the time the sun was about ready to set, they had finished their meal and were back at dream's car, and they were nearly ready to leave

"it's pretty, isn't it?" dream murmured suddenly, nodding towards the sun, which had started to dip behind the horizon, "the sunset."

george nodded, though a slight frown was camping on his face, "it's a shame i can't see it - the colors, i mean."

some form of realization fell over dream's features, and then he was rummaging through the picnic basket once more, seemingly searching for something.

"dream? what're you doing?" george questioned, trying to peer around him and into the basket, "did you bring along another flower to teach me about or something?"

"um - no," the blond shook his head, shifting so his back was obscuring george's view of the basket, "can you close your eyes for a minute?"

george blinked.

"sure...?" he said slowly. 

the world faded from view as he shut his eyes, and waited for dream to finish whatever he was doing. it was quiet, minus the rustling of movement that meant dream was still nearby.

the movement stopped.

"dream?" he said in a hushed tone.

"i'm still here," came the response; george nearly leapt out of his skin. dream chuckled. "easy now, hold still."

george did as he was told, and felt something cold - like a plastic of sorts - make contact with his face - _were those glasses?_ dream was then gently tilting his chin upwards, before he removed it once more and left george feeling clueless.

"and... open."

george obliged. 

dream's face was inches from his own, and he was wearing a hopeful expression.

"notice anything... _different?"_ dream asked slowly.

george started to shake his head, but then he saw it.

green.

dream's eyes were green. 

realization hit him like a truck.

"you..." george began, his voice shaking, "you got me colorblind glasses?"

dream nodded, and the brunet noticed that his eyes were glossed over with unshed tears, "i wanted to be the first thing you saw with them."

"i - i don't know what to say, honestly, dream, i - "

dream cut him off with a warm smile and a shake of his head, "you don't have to say anything. just... enjoy the views on the way back home, okay?"

the blond moved to step away, but george latched onto his wrist and pulled him close once more.

"come back, come back," george urged, the grip on dream's wrist remaining firm.

"what?"

"they're _actually_ green," the brunet stated, sounding awestruck, "your eyes - they're actually green!"

an easy grin made its way onto dream's face, "yeah - yeah, they are!"

almost subconsciously, george reached out, his fingertips dancing along dream's cheekbones, his touches remaining as light and as tentative as possible, being careful to not surpass any boundaries. 

his hand roamed, his fingertips tracing every freckle, every scar, every small bump that rested on dream's face. 

"pretty," george murmured, "you're so pretty."

dream reacted then, leaning down so their foreheads were resting against one another. dream smiled, a hand coming up to cup george's cheek. they were so, _so_ close. everything was close. their breaths were mingling, and they didn't seem to have an inch of space between their bodies.

dream was leaning in.

any second now.

and - 

"can i kiss you?"

_"please."_

dream took the words and acted upon them without another thought; he closed the small gap between them, and their lips connected. frankly, it felt like george was on fire; every touch sent sparks flying through him. he was in some sort of trance that he wasn't sure he wanted to leave. 

george felt his body heating up as dream pulled him impossibly closer. everything burned in the best way possible. 

george couldn't even describe how he felt when dream's hands snaked under his shirt and began dancing up his sides. they went anywhere they could access. george was shaking. everything was shaking.

the feeling was absolutely intoxicating, but he _loved it._

he _cherished_ it, even; cherished the way dream explored every inch of him that he was able to, the sensation of his lips on george's, and - 

dream pulled away. 

george could feel heart pounding in his chest.

the kiss had brought him a euphoric feeling, and he wanted more.

apparently, dream knew exactly what he was thinking.

the blond shook his head, though, a careful smile on his face.

"we can't go any further - not here," dream chuckled, fiddling with the hem of the other's hoodie.

george nodded; he'd been so out of it that he'd hardly realized where they were. 

"hop in," dream nodded towards the car, "we can head back to my place and watch a movie or something, yeah?"

"yeah... okay."

dream smiled; george felt butterflies erupt in his stomach. despite what they'd been doing earlier, that simple, innocent gesture was enough to send george falling even further.

yep. he was definitely in love.


	9. hydrangeas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its been awhile-  
> i have a ton of other stories that im currently writing, and was working on getting other stories- sciamachy and grasping thorns, which have since been published- out. i should be back to a somewhat normal updating schedule now :]

"it was perfect," george sighed, a smile tugging at his lips.

he was seated at the small table in his and sapnap's shared apartment. he'd been telling the other about yesterday's events, not leaving out a single detail; the drive there, stealing dream's phone, the food dream had made, telling stories about their childhoods, dream giving him the glasses, and even the kiss they shared at the end of the night. 

"it sounds like you two had a blast," sapnap said as he took a sip of his coke, "you must really like him, then, huh?"

george absentmindedly prodded at his food with his fork, "i do, i really like him, pandas."

sapnap smiled fondly, "i'm stoked for you, dude. i haven't seen you this happy in ages."

george smiled around his mouthful of pancakes, "so, when is it your turn?"

the other shot him a quizzical look, "what d'you mean?"

"when are you going to ask him out?"

" _who?"_

"that cute guy you go to university with."

sapnap's head snapped up, "karl?"

george's eyebrows shot up with interest, "so you _do_ think he's cute."

realization seemed to hit him all at once, "george, you bitch - i - no, i don't, i just think - he - fuck - this is bullying, this is _actually_ bullying!"

"what's bullying?"

george whipped around. sapnap shifted in order to peer around him.

"dream?"

the blond smiled brightly, "good morning."

george spluttered. "uh, hi? good morning, i - it's great to see you, dream, but how the hell did you get in my house?"

dream's smile remained consistent, “niki gave me her spare key, in case you ever needed something and it so happened to be urgent.”

”how sweet,” sapnap cooed. george shot him a glare, and he began sputtering. “oh, um - i - i’ve got to go, uh, water my laundry - shit, okay, i’ll leave you two alone-“

george huffed, amused, and watched as sapnap bounded away into his room. dream took the opportunity to intertwine his hand with george’s own, and press a chaste kiss to his temple.

“what’s up with you today? you’re all lovey-dovey, with the kisses and hand-holding.” george pointed out, smiling up at the other, “not that i’m complaining, obviously, but i’m curious.”

the blond chuckled, “i’m just enjoying being with you, that’s all.”

george eyed him, “you sure that’s it?”

”well, that, and i wanted to give you this.”

dream took his hand away from george’s, and pulled a carefully-wrapped blue flower out of his pocket, “it’s a hydrangea. it conveys heartfelt emotion, and it expressed gratitude for being understood. it felt right to give it to you today, after the way i probably talked your ears off yesterday.”

george took the flower in his hand and smiled, “it’s beautiful.” 

“i guess it’s just a thank you. thank you for being so understanding all the time, and putting up with my shit.” dream muttered, fidgeting with his hands. “i really adore you for it.”

george carefully set the flower aside and glanced up at the ethereal boy standing in front of him, reaching up to tentatively to tilt his chin downwards.

”i adore you, too.”

and then he was closing the gap between them, pressing his lips against the others. it wasn’t a very long kiss - not nearly as long as the one they had shared yesterday, that’s for sure - but it felt like it could’ve lasted forever.

“okay, what the fuck, i just wanted to come back out and get my sprite.”

they pulled away abruptly to see sapnap standing in the doorway, looking scandalized.

”dude, you know i support your relationship unconditionally, but please, do not make out in the middle of the goddamn living room. get a room. wait - wait, fuck, no, actually - we share a room, never mind, do _not_ have sex in our room-“

”sapnap.”

”...yes?”

”shut up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry abt the short chapter :[ been lacking motivation to write this story recently.


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